Real Madrid are currently questioning the integrity of the officiating in their recent match after a penalty for Vinicius Jr. was not awarded and are pointing to La Liga fixing.
According to a report from MARCA, the club believes the incident was not a simple mistake, but rather a deliberate disregard for a clear foul.
Interestingly, this is certainly not the first time Real Madrid has raised concerns about the referee, especially with regard to decisions involving Vinicius.
It must be noted that last season, referee Martinez Munuera came under scrutiny when he failed to address racist chants directed at Vinicius at Osasuna’s stadium.
Real Madrid lodged a formal complaint, but the refereeing committee defended Munuera, claiming that he could only act on what he directly observed. Despite this, the complaint was closed without further action.
Is there a conspiracy?
Now, after the recent incident involving Vinicius, the club is again considering filing a complaint, this time to the federation and the referees’ committee. Real Madrid see this as more than just an error—it believes the lack of action was intentional.
Real Madrid were denied a clear plenalty against Rayo Vallecano. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Not only did the referee fail to review the situation with VAR, but the VAR room also did not intervene, despite the clear nature of the foul. In fact, Rayo Vallecano’s coach admitted after the match that it should have been a penalty.
The entire club is united in their stance on this matter. Real Madrid TV, along with the coach, players, and directors, have all spoken out privately about what they perceive as a manipulation of the competition.
What is being discussed?
They argue that the technology meant to assist referees was misused, leading to an obvious error that should have been corrected.
They believe the VAR system, which is intended to prevent confusion and ensure fair play, failed in this instance.
The club’s complaint highlights what they believe was an intentional oversight, particularly involving the VAR room, led by Gonzalez Fuertes, during the incident between Vinicius and the Rayo defender.
Real Madrid feel that this situation, which was supposed to be addressed by the technology, reflects a serious misuse of the system designed to support the game and prevent clear mistakes.